Gospel.com Blog

Dale and Jonalyn Fincher of the the Soulation ministry were interviewed recently on the Association of Christian Schools International radio program! During the interview they talk about what drove them to start up an apologetics ministry with a focus on students and young people, and why it’s so critical to engage people intellectually and spiritually with the Christian faith.

You can listen to the radio interview at the Soulation website. Dale and Jonalyn are an extremely eloquent and thoughtful pair; if you have any interest in student ministry or apologetics, it’s well worth giving the short interview a listen.

If somebody challenged you to defend your belief in the resurrection of Jesus on Easter, what would you say?

Is there any evidence that the Resurrection actually historically happened? Why should anybody believe that the Easter story isn’t a fairy tale cooked up by early Christians?

There’s no event more miraculous or important in the entire Bible than Jesus’ resurrection, and so it’s natural that skeptics would focus their challenges on the Resurrection story. And in fact, Christians should be honest and forthright in asking themselves: why do I believe in Jesus and the Easter story?

The FaithFacts ministry specializes in laying out evidence and answers in response to tough questions about Christianity, and their collection of evidence for the Resurrection is excellent reading at this time of year. Without overplaying their hand, they lay out a compelling case that reasonable people can and should take the Easter story seriously. So whether you’re looking for help in answering a critic’s charges, or want to find answers that will address your own honest questions about Jesus and the Resurrection, see if FaithFacts’ case makes sense to you.

It’s a major accomplishment to have been doing anything on the internet for five years, and even more impressive if it involves blogging. And doubly so if it invovles religion as well.

A big congrats goes to GetReligion for crossing that five year mark this week!

GetReligion is a blog devoted to the tireless scrutiny of religion in the mainstream press. They expertly point it out when religion is written about and more importantly when it’s not. They’re spending this week highlighting favorite posts from the past year. You can check out Doulas LeBlanc’s picks today, but remember to check in and congratulate them throughout the week.

Is it accurate to say that Christianity is “under attack” by our society? Why would this be the case, and more importantly, how are Christians to respond to it? Is it possible to present an intellectually credible defense of the Christian faith in a postmodern, secular culture?

Two new essays at Ravi Zacharias’ website address the issue of defending, and living out, a Christian life amidst criticism and pressure from non-Christian philosophies and ideas. The first, Defending Christainity in a Secular Culture, is an interview with Ravi Zacharias in which he talks about the importance of earnestly defending the Christian faith—a task not just for theologians and preachers, but for everyday Christians! And in An Uncompromising Faith Lived Out with Grace, Michael Ramsden describes a uncompromising but grace-filled Christian life.

If you found these essays useful, there are plenty more in the Just Thinking archives at the RZIM website.

Soulation has a new website! We’ve noted Soulation’s apologetics ministry several times before, but if you’re not familiar with them, now’s as good a chance as any to learn more about their ministry.

Soulation’s husband-and-wife team consists of Dale and Jonalyn Fincher, who have lots to say about topics ranging from apologetics, art, relationships, and what it means to live as somebody who is, in their words, “appropriately human.” Stop by the new site and have a look around!

“What is God’s will for my life?”

“What does God let bad things happen to me and my family?”

“Why should I trust the Bible?”

If you have kids or work with young people, chances are you’ve heard countless variations of these basic spiritual questions. Unfortunately, it’s often all too easy to respond with pat answers that don’t really address the heart of the question—and sometimes, even without realizing it, we can send the message to young people that it’s not OK to ask and think through tough spiritual questions.

Dale Fincher of Soulation has some thoughtful and inspiring words on the topic in a new audio message about apologetics questions that young people ask. Fincher challenges Christians not to run from young people’s “tough questions,” and not to minimize their importance. Rather, we should encourage kids to think critically through difficult spiritual issues.

This is one of several new audio resources at Soulation; see also a new audio message asking “why would a good God send people to hell?” and another about issues of identity and body image. If you’re looking for a fresh and direct approach to Christian apologetics, Dale and Jonalyn Fincher’s ministry has a lot to offer.

One of the most pervasive critiques of the Christian faith is the charge that it’s nothing more than a “psychological crutch.” Is God an invention of the mind, a fantasy we’ve imagined into being to give our lives some sense of meaning and purpose? Is belief in God something for the weak—a childish gullibility, a way of avoiding reality?

Amy Orr-Ewing tackles this question head-on in her essay Is Believing in God a Psychological Crutch? She traces the “psychological crutch” charge back to Freud, and offers a Christian response:

From [Freud's] perspective, God is merely a creation of the human mind, a projection emanating from human need and desire rather than a distinct reality or being that exists independently of the human mind. Freud’s notion of God acting as an idealized father figure for humans, providing a cushion from the harshness of the real world and a comforting friend in the midst of life’s troubles, reduces God to a human construct. Indeed, for Freud, God is made in humanity’s own image and is the “ultimate wish-fulfillment”; God does not actually exist but is merely the creation of humanity’s imagination and desire for a loving father figure.

How might a Christian respond to this? Can God really be explained away so easily by one aspect of psychology?

Read the full article, which is excerpted from Orr-Ewing’s upcoming book Is Belief in God Irrational? If you find this essay interesting, you can read the entire first chapter of the book over at InterVarsity Press.

Lastly, there are plenty more essays addressing the topics of faith, doubt, and apologetics at the Just Thinking archives. Don’t run from doubt and questions—take some time to see how Christian thinkers and writers are responding to tough questions about Christianity!

As Andy wrote yesterday, sometimes doubt is a natural part of our Christian—and human—existence. Other times all we really want and need are some reasons why we should believe. Or maybe we doubt because we just don’t know that much about a subject.

To that end, RBC ministries puts out a publication called Ten Reasons to Believe that explores a variety of questions that Christians and skeptics experience. Here are a few that you might help you find some more assurance for your faith.

10 Reasons to Believe…

Christ Rose from the Dead
In a God Who Allows Suffering
In the Existence of God
In the Bible

Have you ever doubted the truth of Christianity?

If you’ve never had a single doubt, you’re either the holiest person alive, or you’re not being completely honest. Whether you’re a longtime Christian who is troubled by doubts about your faith or somebody curious about Christianity but unsure if its claims are true, be assured that asking tough questions about God and the Bible is a healthy activity. When we ask honest questions and keep our ears and minds open to receive the answers, our faith is strengthened.

But knowing that doubt is normal doesn’t answer your questions, does it? Below are some resources from around the Gospel.com community that talk about questioning faith and experiencing doubt. Browse through these links, and you’ll soon see that you’re not the only person who’s asked tough questions about Christianity!

• Questioning Faith: Got questions about the Christian faith? Questioning Faith is an ongoing discussion about faith that tries to answer the tough questions about God and Christianity. Browse through their discussion archives to see the different topics they’ve addressed.
• Where is God? Dealing with Depression and Doubt: This discussion from Revive Our Hearts Radio looks at the doubt experienced by one of the most respected figures in the Bible: King David.
• Tough Questions (And Some Answers): Faith Facts takes a look at some of the most common challenges to Christianity—questions like How do I know the Bible is true? and How can God let bad things happen?

We’ll note other resources about faith and doubt as the week goes on. For now, let’s close with a short clip about the value of doubt from Questioning Faith:

Without doubt there could be no real faith. Indeed, Christianity is a religion that speaks openly of the kind of doubts and questions you mention. Adam and Eve started us out with matters of doubt and unbelief. Sarah doubted God as did Job and the psalmist—repeatedly so. Jesus responded to his disciples’ doubts, most notably Peter and Thomas. Paul offers more than hints of his own doubts, but he also speaks of the incredible sense of confidence that comes by exercising faith.

So go forth… and ask your tough questions!

Yesterday we looked at the old and important question of the existence of God. But there’s one other question that everyone inevitably asks in the course of their spiritual exploration: if God is good, why is there so much evil and suffering in the world? How can we reconcile the existence of a loving God and the presence of violence, disease, and suffering? Are we supposed to believe that God just sit back and lets all these awful things happen, without lifting a finger to prevent it?

There’s no easy answer to this question, although theologians have grappled with it for thousands of years. Yet Christianity and the Bible do have something to say about this—while it’s not likely that we’ll ever completely understand the “problem of evil,” the Bible does help us put evil and suffering into perspective. It also gives us reason to hope that there is meaning to be found behind it all; that suffering isn’t meaningless, nor will it last forever. Here are some short essays from around the Gospel.com community that provide some insight into the seeming paradox of a good God and a suffering world:

• How can a good God permit evil in the world? at Delve into Jesus.
• Suffering and the Hope of Healing (PDF) by Dale Fincher—a look at sickness and the hope that Jesus offers to those who suffer. See part 2 of the same essay.
• Is there a purpose behind my problems? Or is all our suffering random and meaningless?
• War, Genocide, Trauma… Gospel? How can we believe in a loving God or his Gospel when there’s so much evil in the world?
• How can a good God allow evil and suffering? Faith Facts’ take on the question.
• The Secret of Suffering—can suffering ever be a good thing? Perhaps the way we respond to pain in our lives is more important than the pain itself. An interview with a woman who lives with constant suffering, but who has a very unexpected take on it.

You won’t find a pat answer to the question of evil in the above essays, but you will be challenged to look at suffering and evil from a different perspective.